Betrayal
by Neurotica
Summary: One-Shot. Revised. Wormtail. The title says it all... Peter Pettigrew's point of view on Halloween 1981.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the situations or characters you recognize in this story. That privilege belongs solely to J.K. Rowling.**

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* * *

**_**Betrayal**_

By Neurotica

"So... that's it then?" Peter Pettigrew asked, panting in an armchair in Lily and James Potters' home. His wand was still tight in his right hand, and he was sweating more than a little.

James smiled at his friend. "That's it," he said in a feigned cheerful voice. He looked over to his wife and nearly fifteen-month-old son, Harry, sitting next to him. His smile began to fade. "That's it," he repeated quietly.

Harry had slept through the entire ordeal. He was definitely his father's son in that manner; James could sleep through the end of the world.

The three (barely) adults looked at one another for long moments, none of them sure of what to do next. Finally, Lily stood with Harry in her arms.

"I'm going to put him to bed," she said to James and Peter. "I'll let you two talk." Before leaving the sitting room, Lily turned and smiled at Peter. "Thank you, Peter," she said. "I will never be able to tell you what this means to me."

Peter's voice was caught in his throat. He could only nod in acknowledgement of Lily's words.

James' eyes followed Lily all the way up the stairs. After a minute of staring pensively at the ceiling, he lowered his eyes to his friend.

"Peter," he said quietly. Peter looked up from his lap and into James' hazel eyes. There was something foreign in that look. It was a look of intense affection, trust. For the first time, Peter felt as if James really was his best friend. "You have no idea what this means to us, Pete," he said, repeating his wife's words. "I know that we—_I _have underestimated you in the past, but you've always shown us nothing but loyalty. This is going to work out fine. This war will be over soon, and we can go on living our lives like normal." Peter couldn't speak. He was biting his lip so hard it was threatening to bleed. "I know you think you're not as important in my life as Sirius, but that's not true. You are as much my brother as he is. This proves it, Peter. You're doing something right now that's more important than anything we've ever done. My family's life is in your hands." James looked up to the ceiling once more and smiled. When he looked back to Peter, he had tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Wormtail."

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "You're welcome, Prongs," he managed to say in a croaky voice.

James stood and stuck his hand out to Peter. Peter took the hand and was pulled into a tight brotherly embrace. After a few moments, James patted Peter on the back and pulled away.

"Well, I guess you better be off, eh?" James smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so," Peter said, looking out the window into the dark night.

James led his friend to the door. "Padfoot's going to check up on you in a few days. Just lay low. Keep yourself off the radar, and everything will be alright."

Peter nodded. "Okay. See you, Prongs."

"Bye, Wormtail," James said as he closed the door.

Peter stared at the door for long minutes, thinking over the events of the past hours. He'd done it. He was the Potters' Secret-Keeper. James actually trusted him enough to put his wife's and son's lives in his hands. A large grin spread across Peter's rat like face. He turned and looked around the dark neighborhood before transforming into a fat rat with a bald tail, and speeding off down the street.

* * *

Consequences were not something Peter would allow himself to think about. If he had, he may have talked himself out of what he was going to do.

The rewards.

Think of the rewards...

Power.

Wealth beyond comprehension.

Respect...

These were the things Peter thought about on the cold night of 29 October 1981 as he sat in the dark confines of his small house. The fire was burning brightly, causing eerie shadows to creep across the walls.

Peter had paced, drank, ate, brooded. He'd done it all. His mind was made up. There was no other choice...

Without thinking about it, Peter rolled up his left robe sleeve to reveal the black mark that had been burned onto his forearm a little over a year previously. It had started out innocently enough, or so Peter had believed it to be innocent. They'd wanted information. Information he had. They'd threatened him. What was he to do?

He could have run to his friends or Dumbledore. Surely Dumbledore would understand... But no. He would not be a coward any longer. His friends still thought him to be the sniveling little boy he had been in school. They did underestimate him. James had been right about that.

All his life he'd been underestimated. When his father died when he was six, his mother had babied him. Hell, she still babied him. He'd been bullied, picked on, and teased.

But at Hogwarts, no one dared touch him. Not with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin at his side. They were his friends... his only friends. The friends who thought him weak, unintelligent, and a coward.

Not anymore.

Now he was a Death Eater. A soldier on the side of power. He was manipulative, cunning, and secretive. And they had no idea. He'd kept something from the Marauders. He'd done something they'd been too cowardly to do. He'd joined the side of power, the side that would win this war in the end.

He'd done everything he was told to do and then some. He'd convinced Sirius and Remus that the other was the traitor. He'd kept up appearances with his friends so they wouldn't suspect him. After all, who would suspect little Peter Pettigrew?

He'd become the Secret-Keeper...

"Peter!" a voice called from the fireplace.

Peter jumped and looked at the tired head of Remus Lupin. "Hey, Moony, what's up?" he squeaked, moving to kneel before the fireplace.

Remus sighed. "I... I was just wondering if you've talked to Lily or James at all?"

"N-no... w-why would I?" Peter stuttered.

"I don't know. I just... Lily came by a few days ago. She said Sirius is going to be their Secret-Keeper," Remus said.

Peter gulped, but nodded. "Y-yeah. That's what they told me, too."

Again, Remus sighed. "I don't get it, Pete. How did things get like this?"

Peter smiled sadly. "I don't know, Remus. But it'll all be okay. You'll see."

Remus forced a smile. "Right. Okay, then. I better go. I'll talk to you in a few days."

Peter nodded. "Okay. Bye, Moony."

Remus' head disappeared with a _pop_.

Peter sat back and stared at the flames. He did feel sorry for Remus. Ever since James and Sirius stopped talking to him months ago, he seemed more down than he had been in years. Peter tried his best to cheer him up, but it didn't seem to be enough. Nothing was enough anymore...

* * *

Peter awoke to the sound of banging on his front door. He knew who it was before he even opened his eyes. Sighing, he threw the blankets away from his body and made his way to the front of the house. As he walked, he tied a long sleeved robe around his waist.

He opened the door and was nearly hit on the head by the fist of the one and only Sirius Black as he started to knock again. The Muggle motorbike he loved so much was sitting on the lawn. Sirius was wearing that stupid black leather jacket again, and holding a shining helmet. As if that would protect him from falling out of the air...

"'Bout time." Sirius grinned.

"Hey, Sirius," Peter yawned, moving aside to allow Sirius to enter. He closed the door and turned to face the other wizard. The humor that had been on his face was gone in an instant.

"So it's done?" Sirius asked, staring at Peter intently.

Peter nodded, trying not to squirm. "Yeah, it's done."

Sirius sighed heavily and looked around the house. "Good... good."

"Er, you want something to eat?" Peter asked, rubbing his left forearm unconsciously.

"No, not hungry," Sirius muttered. Peter raised an eyebrow. Since when was Sirius not hungry? "Look, I just wanted to make sure you're okay with all this..."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Peter asked.

Sirius looked at Peter and sighed, looking quite uncomfortable. "It's just... well, this is a lot to deal with, Pete, and... I don't know..."

"You don't think I can handle it," Peter said with narrowed eyes. "You think I'll crack, don't you?"

"Pete—"

"No, Sirius, I know. Lily and James and Harry will be fine. No one knows what's going on but us. Not even Remus. I'm not the same little kid you have to save from the Slytherins, Sirius," Peter said, getting a little annoyed.

Sirius watched Peter for a moment and grinned. "You're right, Wormtail. You are different. Look, I'm going into hiding today. Keep yourself safe, and I'll contact you in a few days, alright?"

"Right."

"Okay, I gotta go. See you, Peter."

"Bye, Sirius."

* * *

The familiar pain burned throughout his arm later that night. Peter dropped the full bottle of butterbeer he'd been holding and let it smash to the floor. He grabbed his wand and his robe, trying to ignore the pain and Disapparated with a _pop_.

They were meeting in a forest. The trees stood still, no animal dared make a sound. Peter pulled the hood of his robe over his face and waited. He shivered as he heard a single _pop_ in front of him, but like the animals, he didn't dare make a move. His master would not be pleased if he moved.

"Wormtail..." the cold voice hissed.

"M-master," Peter muttered. He stumbled over to the shadow of the Dark Lord and fell to his knees, kissing his master's robe.

"Rise," the Dark Lord commanded lazily.

Peter stood and backed away two steps, not looking into the scarlet eyes of his master.

"You have new information for me, Wormtail," the Dark Lord hissed. It was not a question, more of a demand.

"Y-yes, my Lord. The P-Potters have chosen their Secret-Keeper. They have chosen m-me, my Lord."

"Have they?" The Dark Lord asked, a hint of surprise evident in his voice.

"Y-yes, my Lord."

"Good work, Wormtail. The Potters will meet their end soon. Tomorrow, I think. Yes... Halloween. A perfect time for Lord Voldemort to rid himself of the only thing in his path of achieving total power." The cold, high-pitched laugh that followed sent a hard shiver down Peter's spine.

* * *

The rat crawled quickly through the wet grass, under the gate, across the yard. It scurried up a tree and waited in the shelter of the leaves that were left.

Soon... it will all end soon...

He watched the Potter home materialize seemingly out of this air. There was a glow through the front window from the television James and Lily owned. Peter had one, too; Lily had talked him into buying it.

Not long after his arrival, all of the lights in the house and around the neighborhood went out. The rat scampered backwards into the trunk of the tree.

He listened hard for any movement.

He could see a shadow moving across the front lawn to the front door...

An explosion. The door had been blasted off its hinges...

A scream. Lily...

James' voice muffled by the walls. "...Lily...!... Harry... run!"

The rat began to shiver. And not from the cold rain that was hitting him.

Bright lights shone through the window. James was dueling with the Dark Lord.

A high pitched cruel laugh.

A bright green light.

Darkness.

James Potter was dead.

The rat's little lungs were working hard to breathe. He crawled up further on the tree, and across a limb directly in front of Harry's room.

Lily was facing the window, her face buried in Harry's hair. She couldn't see him, but she knew.

The bedroom door burst open, revealing the Dark Lord. Lily put Harry back in his crib and spun around, shielding him. The Dark Lord was teasing her... testing her...

Even though the rat couldn't make out the words on his snake-like lips, he knew what they were. The rat turned his head as the green light nearly blinded him. When all was dark again, he turned back to the window.

The Dark Lord approached Harry's crib. He knelt over the bars, grinning evilly at the child, speaking to him.

The Dark Lord stood up straight, pointed his wand at the boy, and spoke those two deadly words.

The rat had expected another bright green light. He had expected it all to go dark once more. He had expected to hear the high cruel laugh of his master.

What he had not expected was the painful scream that emitted from the bedroom window. He hadn't expected the blast or the force of it. He hadn't expected James and Lily's home to end up as a pile of rubble and dust.

But that was what happened.

The rat looked all around for any sign of his master, any sign of what to do next. But none came. A thick black smoke rose from where Harry's bedroom should have been and disappeared into the night.

Minutes later, the rat heard the unmistakable rumble of a motorbike.

_Oh no... Sirius is here.._ He couldn't—_wouldn't_—panic now. Sirius couldn't see him this high up...

The rat watched Sirius eye the destruction. He watched Sirius stumble to James and Lily's bodies, crying, sobbing, yelling into the night.

Hagrid arrived. Sirius had found Harry; the boy was alive? _How?_

Hagrid wanted to take Sirius' godson to Lily's sister's house... Dumbledore's orders. In the end, Sirius agreed.

Hagrid flew off on Sirius' motorbike with Harry moments after the younger wizard Disapparated away from the scene.

The rat remained in the tree until sunrise. He had to think of a plan. Sirius knew Peter betrayed him, and he would surely go to Dumbledore and the Ministry.

Peter couldn't let that happen...

Right now, everyone believed Sirius to be the Secret-Keeper. If only there was a way to keep people believing that...

With a plan finally formed in his mind, the rat scurried down the tree and into the surrounding forest. He transformed and Apparated back to his home.

The front door was wide open; Sirius had already been there... Peter made his way quickly to his bedroom. He dug around his dresser drawer until he found it... A grin formed on the wizard's face. He knew what he had to do.

It was the only way...

* * *

He was in London. He followed the man all through the city, through the traffic, through the commuters...

He turned down a different street and ran to head the man off on the other side. Now was as good a time as any...

He waited in the alley... he would see him...

Peter's breath caught in his throat as he looked into the murderous face of Sirius Black. Peter gulped and back away automatically right into a brick wall.

"You son of a bitch," Sirius growled. "You killed them!"

"S-Sirius," Peter cried. "How could you, Sirius? Lily and James! How could you?"

"What?" Sirius growled, raising his wand and advancing on Peter.

Peter put his hands behind his back. He pulled the silver dagger from his pocket. He cut off his index finger. He pulled his wand from his other pocket, muttered a spell, and waited.

The street exploded. There were screams, too many to count. Peter grinned through the pain in his hand and transformed. He ran through the cold dark sewers, for how long he didn't know. He had to put as much distance between himself and Sirius as possible.

* * *

From the comfort of a pillow, Scabbers the rat listened to the redheaded witch and wizard discuss the traitor, Sirius Black.

"Seemed like a good kid to me," the wizard said.

"Yes, well, look what he's done to his friend and all those Muggles," the witch replied.

Scabbers grinned in a way only a rat could grin. He'd done it. He'd fooled them all. The Marauders, the Death Eaters. Sirius Black was in Azkaban and the rat formally known as Wormtail was living it up in Ottery St. Catchpole, eating scraps from the table.

It was the ultimate betrayal.


End file.
